I just have come from the Rheumatologist. He took one look at my toe and said, "I know what that is. Do you have psoriasis?" And of course, I do. He said that I have psoriatic arthritis and "sausage toe" is a classic symptom. The Dr. said he does not have other patients on BCG's and he does not know of a correlation, but that it was possible, and yet he didn't think so. (BTW, this Doctor is also a Duke graduate. I do have confidence in him.)
When I google psoriatic arthritis/BCG/Bladder cancer, I do get some hits, and there has been a speculation that psoriatic arthritis may be a reaction to BCG treatments. It is RARE. And it looks like you must be in possession of a certain specific gene which is hereditary. The Dr. did test my blood for that gene, but haven't got the results as of yet. He wants to know if my kids are a candidate for this arthritis.
I am now on my first permanent medication, CELEBREX, and I got a cortisone shot in the shoulder.
Thanks for listening to my saga,
Rosemary
PS.
He said, "You are extremely healthy, except for Bladder Cancer"......that was nice to hear. I suppose that all those years of eating High Fiber/Low Fat (the anti cancer diet) has paid off in some ways.
Also, this is Doctor #3 who wants me to continue with BCG treatments.
..."I can treat your arthritis." says he....